A Banner In The Works by Toby and Daniel: 2018

A Banner In The Works
by Toby and Daniel
September, 2018

There was a time in Thai football, when Chonburi FC was one of the bigger teams and a title contender for many seasons, but unfortunately finishing as a runner up most of the time. Their biggest rivals were a team from a small district called Nongchok Muangthong. With the help of a lot of money and a general football hype at that time the team went from 20 supporters in the first division to a couple of thousand supporters in the premier league throughout the next couple of years. The newly-rich made good use of their money, built up a good team, developed some fancy marketing and rebuilt the stadium to a proper football ground.

During this time two of the big supporter groups were being formed at Muangthong – Ultra Muangthong and N-ZONE. Both groups were following the so-called “Ultra” style of support (without really knowing the culture of “Ultras”).

Away fans travelling to Muangthong had the luck to be placed at the northern side of the west stand just next to the N-ZONE Ultras. The Chonburi supporters immediately became friends with the local N-ZONE crowd (and they were not the only to do so, as Port supporters also always had a good experience with them). The usual names of the Thai’s most favorite animals were flying from sector to sector, while handy gestures showing a variety of fingers and wobbly hand movements where used showing each other mutual affection.

During one of the last match days in the 2012 season, two unknown lads who had some kind of relationship to Chonburi FC were following the invitation to watch Muangthong play against Chainat from a VIP box (free beverages came in handy and lots of lifestyle drinks found were being put to good use). While Muangthong won the title, and possibly under the influence of too many lifestyle drinks, the two lads came up with one of the most innovative ideas in modern Thai football – to “borrow” the N-ZONE banner (a common thing in the Ultra culture).

Once the idea settled in, the guys faced some infrastructural issues. The banner was on the other side of the ground, the guys behind the banner probably wouldn’t agree to “lend” it out and the banner was fairly big. One problem after another, the two lads decided to reach the other stand by crossing the field. Although probably not the most inconspicuous way, it was surely the fastest. The banner was in reach and no one was left on the stand. Was this possible? Was this so easy?

The lads started to unknot the strings of the banner from the railing, one after another, when suddenly 20 Muangthong supporters came back to the stand. “What you do?” was their simple question and “We are helping!” the even simpler yet stupid answer that seemed to do the trick, as they ended up helping to fold up all their banners and flags. Preliminary summary at this stage: Mission failed. The Muangthong guys were carrying all the stuff away and disappeared, leaving the two lads on the empty stand with empty hands.

Kind of frustrated that the mission failed back to Bangkok for more lifestyle drinks seemed the only reasonable choice. While trying to find their way out of Legoland our two heros passed a small room under the stands filled with drums, flags, banners and no one to watch it.

What happened next was by far not the bravest thing the two have ever done in their football fan career, but after all they have gone through it was a no brainer at that time and under the given circumstances: Grab the biggest banner and run. And so they did.

Trying to find a taxi at Muangthong after a match is not the easiest thing, but the two got lucky and found themselves sitting in a taxi with a borrowed Muangthong banner just after a few minutes. But was it the right banner? It was big and it was folded. Hence, they couldn’t see what was written on it as the taxi was dimly lit and too small to unfold the banner.

After a 23-minute taxi ride they reached the Asoke junction – the perfect place to see what the banner was all about and also in proximity of a refill of everyones favorite drink. They took the banner to the small square in front of the City Bank, each of them grabbing one side of the banner, walking slowly away from each other and: JACKPOT! The N-ZONE banner.

It was clear that this banner will be given to the Chonburi FC supporters, as they imagined the Chonburi supporters to be more than pleased to hold the banner of their biggest opponents in their hands during one of the next matches and …

… the Chonburi supporters took the banner, gave it back to the Muangthong supporters and said that they are sorry. Not exactly what the two lads expected to happen, but maybe it’s their style of Ultra fan culture. T.I.T.